Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

Restaurants will have to offer water or milk as the default drink for children unless requested otherwise. Meanwhile, Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a statewide change to school start times, preferring to grant that authority to local communities.

The Associated Press:
California Makes People Ask For Straws, Sodas With Kid Meals
If you want a straw with your drink or a soda with a kids' meal at a California restaurant, you'll need to ask for them starting next year. A law signed Thursday by Gov. Jerry Brown makes California the first state to bar full-service restaurants from automatically giving out single-use plastic straws. Another law he approved requires milk or water to be the default drink sold with kids' meals at fast-food and full-service restaurants. (9/20)

Los Angeles Times:
Milk And Water Will Be Default Drink Options For California Kids' Meals Starting In 2019
“Our state is in the midst of a public health crisis where rates of preventable health conditions like obesity and Type-2 Diabetes are skyrocketing, due in large part to increased consumption of sugary beverages,” state Sen. Bill Monning (D-Carmel), the law’s author, said in a written statement. “This bill is an important part of a statewide public health strategy that will better inform consumers about the unique impacts that sugary beverages have on their health and that of their children.” (Myers, 9/20)

Los Angeles Times:
California Gov. Jerry Brown Rejects Bill To Prohibit Schools From Starting Before 8:30 A.M.
Under Senate Bill 328, public and charter schools would have had to adhere to the start time rule by Jan. 1, 2021, a change researchers believe would have decreased students’ risk of depression, suicide and car accidents while increasing their attendance rates, grade-point averages and test scores. “This is a one-size-fits-all approach that is opposed by teachers and school boards,” Brown said in a veto message. “Several schools have already moved to later start times. Others prefer beginning the school day earlier. These are the types of decisions best handled in the local community.” (Racker, 9/20)

San Francisco Chronicle:
Gov. Brown Nixes California Mandate For Later School Start Time
Brown, a proponent of local control for schools, wrote that the bill was a “one-size-fits-all approach” opposed by teachers and school boards. “Several schools have already moved to later start times,” Brown wrote in his veto message. “Others prefer beginning the day earlier. These are the types of decisions best handled in the local community.” (Gutierrez and McBride, 9/20)

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